The Puny Player
by Chenamon
Summary: Larry decides to join a football team. His team consists of Chargin' Chucks who are wary of his abilities. Will he lead the team to victory or let them crash and burn?
1. Chapter 1

Larry's birthday had just passed and it was like any other day at the castle. His siblings were doing whatever, while Larry sat in his room observing one particular present he had just received. He got it from Kamek, the royal advisor and the highest ranking Koopa, only to be topped by Bowser, Jr, and the Koopalings of course. It was a football helmet. For the most part it was white but it had a sky blue stripe from the front all the way to the back with orange lining on both edges of the stripe. It had a medium star on the left side, similar to the star tattoo he sported on the left side of his head. There was also a hole on top of the helmet that was large enough for his tall sky blue hair to stick out through. He tried it on and it felt a little bit big, but you know, he'll grow into it.

He never actually played a lot of football, despite being the sports enthusiast in the family. He decided that he'll begin today, but where to start? Roy was familiar with aggressive sports, maybe he could help. So he made his way to his brother's room.

He approached the door of Roy's room and raised his hand to knock. Loud rock music is heard from inside. He knocks. No answer. He knocks louder. Still nothing. Whelp, may as well call him.

"YO ROY! CAN I COME IN?!" Larry yells at the door. The music stops and footsteps are heard. The door swings open and Roy stands there impatiently.

"What do you want, twerp?" He asks, crossing his arms.

"Don't call me a twerp." Larry huffs at first. "I want you to teach me how to play football." Roy's mood almost immediately changed upon hearing this.

"Football, eh? Ya sure ya can handle a sport that rough, baby bro?" Roy teases, pinching Larry's cheek. He swats his hand away.

"I CAN handle it Roy. Don't baby me like that." He huffs getting a little more annoyed.

"Alright, alright. No need t'get all huffy about. C'mon. Follow me." He begins leading Larry towards the stairs. They pass Morton's room and Roy calls him. Morton was about to start yammering on, until Roy cut him off.

"We're teaching the twerp football, c'mon." Morton nods and also comes along. They made their way downstairs and into the front yard.

"Ok, listen up 'cause I ain't repeating myself. Alright, twerp?" Roy starts off. Larry sulks, but nods. He plops himself in the grass and Morton drops himself beside him. Roy begins explaining the basics of football.

The following few hours, Roy began training him. He taught him about tackling, running while avoiding getting taken down, and many other aspects of the sport. Larry learned fast and quickly got most of the rules and physical parts of the game down. The only thing he couldn't do was the tackle, since he was still quite small. No matter, that would come later. Since he already had the athletic build he was set to go.

"I'm surprised you got it so fast, twerp. I would've thought you'd give up." Roy stated through several pants. He drops into the grass.

"Well what can I say? I'm a fast learner AND good at sports." Larry huffs proudly, placing his hands on his hips. Roy laughs and pulls the helmet down over Larry's eyes.

"Whatever, twerp!" He gets up. "You can go do whatever, I guess. I'll set ya up with a team. You start tomorrow, alright?" Larry pushes the helmet back up and glares, but nods as well.

Football starts tomorrow, so it was best to rest up. He spent the rest of the afternoon chilling and working on songs for Electrodrome.

Elsewhere, Roy was chilling with a bunch of friends. They were Chargin' Chucks; each had their own distinguishing feature, whether it'd be their hair, the style of their shell or the shade of blue on their legs and sleeves.

"Y'know, ever since Charlie left the team, it hasn't been the same." One of them started off. "We could really use you as a player, Roy."

"Nah, man. Y'know I can't, Chance." Roy frowns. "I got other things going on and I really can't play right now. Y'know I would if I could."

"Yeah, man. I feel you..." Chance sighs. "But we really need a new quarterback and we really can't find anyone. If we don't get a new player, we can't play this this season."

Roy sighs. He loved these guys, but he really couldn't play this time around. What could he do to help? Wait... Maybe he could... He is still little, but he's smart, fast, and can manage a team well.

"I've got a solution, but I'll tell you guys tomorrow!" He gets up and starts heading home.

"Can't you tell us today?!" One of them called.

"No, but I can show you tomorrow!" He calls back, still going.

They were sure in for a big, yet small surprise.


	2. Chapter 2

The following day, Larry was up and already practicing the new sport. He practiced running, throwing, and tackling even though he probably wouldn't be able to knock anyone down. Roy woke up much later and went outside to meet him.

"Ready to go meet the team, twerp?" He asks, pushing Larry's helmet down, once again. He let it slide and nods while pushing it back up. "Alright! Let's go."

They make their way to the field where the team of Chargin' Chucks were already practicing. Roy called to them.

"YO GUYS COME OVER HERE!" The crowd came running and stopped in front of Roy with a streaking halt.

"So, you gonna tell us the solution, bro?" One asks.

"Yeah, man. The suspense has been killing us since yesterday!" Another one whines.

"Alright! Alright!" Roy roars, collectively shutting them up. "The solution to your problem is him!" He said stepping aside, revealing Larry. Larry waves. They were dead silent.

"Uh... He... Err..." One stammered. "He..."

"He looks like he's got great agility!" Another cut in quickly. They all collectively agreed. Roy let out a small sigh of relief. He swore they were upset or going to laugh at him or Larry.

"Lemme just talk to the guys for a sec, 'kay twerp?" Roy said motioning Larry to move away.

"Whatever." He replies walking far enough so that he wouldn't hear their conversation. Roy turns his attention back to the team.

"Ok, look. I know you guys might be a little disappointed that he's so... well..."

"Small! Roy, he's puny! Please tell me this is a joke. PLEASE!"

"It AIN'T a joke! This kid is tougher than he looks. I know he can pull his own weight on the team. Just give him a chance at least." Roy pleads. The Chargin' Chucks exchanged looks. Chance sighed.

"Well fine. We'll give him a shot. But if he messes up, it's all on you. Got it?" Chance puts out his hand.

"Got it." Roy slaps his hand into Chance's and they shake on it. He turns around and calls Larry.

"Yo! Twerp, come over here!" Larry runs over. "This is your team. You've gotta back them up and they'll do the same. Alright?" Larry nods. "You guys introduce yourselves to each other; I've got some things I need to take care of, alright?" They all reply alright and Roy goes off on his way. The team turns their attention towards the little Koopa that stood before them. They all pulled off their helmets and just continued staring. There was an awkward silence until Chance spoke up.

"So, uh, what's your name, kid?"

"Larry Koopa. Who are you guys?"

"We'll I'm Chance." Chance had a pale yellow tuft of hair on his head that swirled like an ice cream. His eyes were a little more round and his brow was not as pronounced as an average Chuck. It gave his a friendlier look. His sleeves and legs were a cerulean blue, and his shell was smooth and plain.

"Chester." His tuft of hair was a chestnut colour and was spiky. His eyes and brow were like a normal Chuck's. His sleeves and legs were navy blue and his shell was tiled like a Koopa's shell.

"I'm Chan." His hair was a purple to magenta gradient tuft. His brow was less pronounced and he had thinner slit eyes. His sleeves and legs were a periwinkle blue. His shell was smooth, but had a pale striped pattern going horizontally.

"The name's Chad." His hair was a magenta to purple gradient tuft. His brow was less pronounced and he had thinner slit eyes too. His sleeves and legs were a periwinkle blue. His shell was smooth, but had a pale striped pattern going vertically.

"And I'm Chet." His eyes were the usual slits of a Chargin' Chuck and his brow was much more pronounced than an average Chuck. His hair tuft was jet black and slicked back. His shell was tiled and had spikes. His legs and sleeves were a really dark navy blue. Another distinguishing thing was that he was frowning and crossing his arms the whole time.

"I'm Champ." His tuft of hair was a sky blue to yellow gradient and it spiked similar to a crown. His brow was normal, but his eyes were rounder. His sleeves and legs were a metallic blue. His shell was smooth and had pale polka dots.

"It's Chase." He had the average eyes and brow of a Chuck. He wore glasses with blue, rectangular frames. His tuft of hair was blue and curly. His sleeves and legs were a slightly de-saturated blue. His shell was tiled similar to that of a Hammer Bros'.

"Hi, I'm Chip." His eyes were round and his brow was less pronounced. His hair was a brown to white gradient. He had freckles all across his face and his arms. His sleeves and legs were the average blue. His shell was smooth and plain.

"I am known as Chuji." His eyes were thinner than average slits and he had the average brow. His hair was black and was styled in the usual Chuck way. His sleeves and legs were sky blue. His shell was smooth and plain.

"I'm... uh... Jeremy." He had all the usual Chuck features. Sky blue to yellow gradient hair, a normal sized brow and slit eyes. Blue sleeves and legs. He had a smooth and plain shell too.

"It's nice to meet you guys!" Larry said, while shaking each of their hands. His hand was tiny in comparison to theirs. "I can't wait to play!" He pauses. "When's the first game?"

"It's later today... So how about we practice a little?" Larry grins and excitedly nods. "Alright kid. Show us what you got." And with that they put on their helmets and went right into the game.

All the Chucks were in their positions, as was Larry. They were doing five on five, and one of the Chucks sat out. They waited until, Chance called out.

"HUT!" And he passed it backwards through his legs to Larry. Larry stepped a few feet backwards before calling to Chet.

"Chet! Go long!" Chet scoffed and kept going at an average pace. Larry tossed the ball and it spiralled far across the field. They were all quite shocked to see the distance the ball had travelled and Chet was now embarrassed that he hadn't gone for the ball. The other team had it and were proceeding to their side of the field. Chad had the ball and was making his way to the goal post. Luckily Chuji tackled him sending the ball a bit away from the goal. Chester picked up the ball and began running with it.

"Larry, go long!" He bellowed. Larry listened and ran. Once again, he surprised them. He was quick and caught the ball easily, almost flawlessly. He continued running, making his way to the opposing team's goal. Chip attempted to catch the little Koopa in a tackle, but Larry was faster and much more agile than he anticipated. He quickly swerved around Chip and made the touchdown. Larry cheered and jumped up and down. Then he called to his team.

"How'd I do?!" They were still awestruck. Chester finally responded.

"Not bad, li'l man. Not bad all." They all circled around him and began complimenting him, which of course he enjoyed. Most of their doubt in him then faded and they got a more positive outlook of their future games. It just took a bit of faith in the little guy.

The team made their way to the actual playing field, and there were already quite a few people in the stands. Larry looked around in awe, but still closely followed his teammates. The other team had also arrived recently. They were Sledge Bros. They were a big and buff as the Chargin' Chucks. Chance patted Larry's shoulder and Larry turned to look up to him.

"You aren't nervous, are you?" Larry shrugs. "Don't worry. These guys are big, but they don't play too well. It'll be an easy match, so no need to sweat it." He pats the little Koopa's back and they move into a huddle.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Chet asks Larry. They all turn their attention to him. He gulps.

"Ok here's the plan..." And he goes off into an explanation. When he finished they all nodded and went into their places. The Sledge Bros did the same. Larry and the Sledge Bros team leader met in the center with the referee for the coin toss. The Sledge Bro smirked.

"You should be afraid, li'l man. You'll get crushed out here." He chuckles. Larry grits his teeth, scowls, and replies.

"Bite me." His sharp blue eyes pierced through the Sledge Bro and a chill ran down his spine. The coin was flipped and Larry's team was doing the kickoff. Larry kicked the ball as hard as he could and it was sent flying. The game was off to a good start.

Meanwhile at the Koopalings' castle, Ludwig, the eldest of the Koopalings, was doing his usual rounds of checking on his siblings when he couldn't find Larry. He called for him but got no reply. Roy was heading out, but Ludwig spots him just in time.

"Roy, have you seen Larry?" He asked.

"Uh yeah. He should be at his game right now." Roy replies. 'A game?' Ludwig thought. 'He hasn't signed up for anything as far as I know. And I always know.'

"What game? Tennis?"

"No, football."

"Football?! When did he sign up for that?"

"I did it."

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"I was gonna later."

"Do you know how dangerous that sport is?! Is he at least playing with kids his age?"

"Uhhh..."

"I don't like that 'uhhh'. Take me to the game right now."

"But..."

"Now, Roy." Ludwig was basically up in his brother's face. Roy, now intimidated, nods and leads Ludwig out the door.

Within minutes, they arrived at the game and took their seats in the stands. Ludwig's arms were crossed and his eyebrows were furrowed the whole way there and Roy was a little miffed about how Ludwig had to tag along. Both were now focused on Larry in the game.

The game was almost done and Larry's team was in the lead. It was time to finish it. Chester threw the ball long and Chet caught it. He ran with it a bit before passing it to Larry. It was the final stretch. Larry was running and the Sledge Bros were coming at him. His teammates tackled them and he swerved around the falling Bros and Chucks. He was almost there. A Sledge Bro was coming at him. It'd be too high a jump to go over his head. So he did the opposite and slid through his feet. He scrambles back up onto his feet and sprints right into the touchdown. The bell finally tolls and his team had won the game.

His team quickly surrounded him and were cheering. Chance hoisted Larry up onto one of his shoulders. The other team left in shame, but the captain came over to the winning team. Larry patted Chance to put him down and he did so. He walked up to the Sledge Bro.

"Um look... I wanted to apologize for trying to intimidate you-" He stammers. Larry pulls off his helmet. The Bro is shocked. "-P-prince Larry?!" Larry grins. The Sledge Bro then proceeds to apologize profusely and bow a lot.

"Don't worry. It's fine." Larry cuts him off. "On the playing field we're equal, got it?" He nods. Larry puts up his fist for a fist bump and the Sledge Bro follows through. He apologizes once more, before returning to his team. Larry simply rolls his eyes and turns his attention to his two older brothers approaching. Ludwig was about to say something until Larry cut him off.

"Did you guys see me out there?! I was totally rockin' it! It was sooo much fun too! Will the rest of the gang come watch me too?" Ludwig didn't want to ruin his spirits so he just nodded in agreement with his younger sibling. Larry went raving on about the game and Ludwig turned to Roy.

"If something happens to him, you're gonna get hell, got it." He hissed through his teeth, while tightly gripping Roy's wrist.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Ludwig releases his grip and Roy rubs his wrist. Ludwig turns back to Larry.

"Alright, alright Larry. That's enough. Let's go back home now." Larry nods and the three start heading home. He waves bye to his team and they return the wave. Next game's sure to be even better.


	3. Chapter 3

Throughout the next few weeks, Larry and the Chucks were winning basically all their games. It hadn't been this good with any of their past quarterbacks since Charlie. Larry was the best next to him. Today's game was against the Sumo Bros. They were known for playing rough, being tough, and sending others to the hospital. The Chucks were a bit nervous but Larry was unfazed. Mostly because he was naive and unaware of how dangerous this team could be.

It was a few minutes before the game started and everyone was getting seated. The Koopalings sat in the stands, Iggy and Morton both cheering loudly for their baby bro. Ludwig was silent for the most part and trying to keep Lemmy seated. Roy was waiting for the match to start and lastly Wendy was tweaking her makeup. Larry didn't care much about what they were doing, he was just glad they were all there. It was time for the game to begin.

He and the Sumo Bros leader stood front and center for the coin toss. The Sumo Bro was staring Larry down. He stared right back. The coin was flipped and the Sumos were doing the kickoff. Larry and his team readied themselves. They kicked it and the ball went flying. The game had begun.

They were mid-game now and both of the teams were bruised and a little bloody. The two teams were tied right now. Larry was coming up with a strategy with his team in a huddle. They were finally ready and moved into their positions, but the Sumos were still in a huddle.

"If we take down the shrimp, the whole team will fall. Aim for the shrimp, got it?" The leader said. They all nodded. They then got into their positions and the game continued. Little by little Larry's team members were getting taken down by the Sumos' tackles. He was the last one left and he had the ball; time to run.

He began running. One Sumo came at him and he swerved to the left. Another one came and he veered to the right. He was almost at the goal post when a Sumo came at him again. He couldn't turn left or right to avoid him, nor slide through his legs. He was coming at it him quickly so he braced for impact. The Sumo rammed him and his body was almost immediately knocked down. Larry's helmet crashed hard into the floor and his head was rattling inside. The Sumo's body landed on top of his with a loud thud. Larry's vision was blurry until everything blacked out. The last things he heard were the referee's whistle and his siblings yelling.

Larry was finally coming to. He groggily sat up and groaned. His head, wrist, and chest hurt the most right now. He wasn't aware that he was in the hospital and not at the game, so he was looking around in a lost manner. The nurse in the room left to call his siblings. They all swarmed in and circled around the bed.

"My helmet...? Where's my helmet...?" Larry asked. His words were a bit slurred.

"Here, Larry." Ludwig said passing it to Larry. "You're in the hospital now, ok?" Larry stared blankly.

"The game...? Did we win it...?" Ludwig shook his head.

"Your team were worried, so they forfeited this match." Larry stared blankly and blinked slowly.

"It's all my fault that we lost... I wasn't good enough..." He covered his face.

"Now don't say that!" Roy exclaimed. "Your teammates need you and you're a great player!" Larry uncovers his face and stares blankly again.

"Where's my helmet?"

"You're holding it." Ludwig replied.

"Oh..." Larry inspects the helmet. "Aw man... There's a dent in it... Kamek'll be mad..." Ludwig sighs and turns to his other siblings.

"He's really out of it... I hope he's ok." Finally the doctor arrives. "Finally, what's wrong with our brother?" The doctor looks down at his clipboard. He shakes his head.

"I'm afraid he won't make it...-" The doctor pauses and the Koopalings tense up. "-without the proper rest!" They all glare. "It appears that he has suffered a concussion. Stars know what could've happened if he wasn't wearing that helmet." They all stare at the helmet and its huge dent. "Surprisingly, he didn't get any ribs or any innards broken from that Sumo Bro being on top of him. Don't worry though. He should be better by tomorrow or so. I'll just get him ready to go home." The doctor left. Larry groaned.

"I really don't feel-" he hung over the side of the bed and puked before he could finish his sentence. Iggy gagged upon seeing that.

"Yep, I'm out." And with that he walked out the room. He puked and gagged a bit more before finally flopping onto his back. He groaned again. The doctor returned. He didn't comment on the puke on the floor.

"You guys are free to take him home. Make sure he gets a lot of rest. No sports for a week or so." Ludwig nodded and the doctor left. He turns to Larry and tugs on his arm. He doesn't budge. Ludwig sighs and pulls him out of the bed and onto the floor. Larry is wobbly and almost falls over, but Ludwig catches him. Ludwig sighs louder and Roy ends up just carrying him. They eventually head home.

When they arrive home and Ludwig takes Larry. He takes him to bed and tucks him in. He puts a bucket beside his bed just in case he vomits again. He checked to make sure Larry was ok. Good, he was. Larry was fast asleep. He left Larry's room and closed the door gently. He then turned to Roy who was standing outside of the room. Ludwig did not look happy in the slightest. Roy fixed his shades nervously.

"You do realize I'm blaming this on you, right." Roy rubs his arm. "He could've got seriously hurt! And playing with kids six years older than him or even more?! Of course he'd get hurt!"

"Hey it's not like I wanted him to get hurt! The kid's tough, so he'll be fine! And since when did you care about his safety? You're being such a mom!" Roy spat.

"I'm not being a 'mom', Roy. It's a little thing called responsibility. You should try it sometime."

"Oh wow! Lud's sooo responsible! You want a reward?!"

"Grrrrr! I could just ring your neck and pop your head clean off your body, but wouldn't want my hands to get dirty with your foul blood!"

"Oh yeah?! I'd like to see you try, Luddy!" They were getting progressively louder and closer to actually duking it out. Lemmy came to intervene, since he heard them yelling. He stepped in between them and put his hands up implying them to stop.

"Larry's getting better, so you gotta be quiet." He put one finger over his lips. Roy huffed and crossed his arms, while Ludwig sighed and placed his hands on his hips.

"I suppose Lemmy IS right... But I don't think Larry should continue with this brutish sport." Ludwig said.

"Hmph! Good luck breaking it to the kid." And with that the two Koopas went their own separate ways. Lemmy sighed and went off on his own way as well.

Later during the evening, Larry woke up. He slowly and groggily made his way down the stairs. Ludwig was first to notice him so he went over.

"Larry, how are you feeling?"

"My head's totally killing me... My body aches a little, and I'm kinda hungry. What happened and how long was I out for?" Larry rubbed the back of his head.

"You got knocked down pretty hard and you passed out. You got a concussion, but you'll be ok. Don't you remember getting knocked down?" Larry shook his head.

"All I remember is that Sumo Bro coming at me, then things went black..."

"Well... It doesn't matter all that much, so let's get you something to eat." Larry nodded and the two headed to the kitchen. Larry only ate a little, and complained about being tired, so he ended up going to bed. Hopefully tomorrow he'd be a bit better.


	4. Chapter 4

The following day he was much better and woke up pretty early because he was slept a lot the previous day. He looked at the helmet and actually realized how bad the dent was. He wanted to fix it as soon as possible, so he went to go wake up Ludwig. His brother was fast asleep. He shook him slightly and whispered.

"Ludwig. Wake up." Ludwig stirred. Larry shook him more and whispered a little louder. "Wake up." He finally woke up. He groggily turned to look at Larry.

"Ugh, Larry... It's five in the morning... What do you want?"

"Can we go fix my helmet?" He holds up the helmet.

"Larry, can't it wait until later?"

"Come on, it's so important to me! Please! Please! Pleeeeeaaasse!" His voice was getting louder.

"Alright! Fine! Fine! Just quit whining in my ear and let me get ready." Larry cheered softly. Within an hour Ludwig was ready and they went off to get it fixed.

They entered a store and the Toad at the repairs table was already shivering upon seeing them. They walked up to him.

"Can you fix this?" Ludwig asked, putting the dented helmet on the counter. The Toad nodded quickly. "Good. Then hop to it." Ludwig commanded. Within the hour, the repair was done and the helmet looked as good as new. Ludwig paid for the repairs and Larry thanked the Toad before excitedly running out the store with the helmet in his hands. Ludwig sighed and followed. He had to talk to his youngest brother, so he called him over.

"Larry, I really don't want you to get hurt again," he started, "so I think you should drop out of the team."

"What?!" Larry exclaimed, while he abruptly stopped walking. Ludwig bumped into him because of the abrupt stop. He already was wearing the helmet. "I can't just drop out! My team needs me…"

"Well, _I_ need you in one piece!" Ludwig blurted out. He quickly clapped his hands over his mouth and his face reddened a little. Larry stared at him wide-eyed for a few seconds before returning to his normal expression and averting eye contact. They continued walking in silence for a bit. Larry slowly stopped once again and while still averting eye contact by looking at his feet, he spoke up,

"I really had no idea you cared so much... Sorry for making you worry so much..." Ludwig's heart melted upon hearing that. It would be pretty selfish of him to keep Larry from playing because he didn't want the kid to get hurt; but at the same time, this game and the team was very important to Larry. They continued walking and there was more silence. Ludwig sighed and continued,

"Look, Larry... I can see how important this is to you... So you're free to do as you wish. Just try to be a little more careful." A wide grin grew across the little Koopa's face.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Larry cried while pretty much tackling Ludwig to the ground. "I'll try my very best not to get killed out there!" Ludwig's face was a bit red once again and he was averting eye contact. He sat up and pushed Larry off.

"Ok, ok. I get it. Let's just go home, alright?" Larry nodded happily and they began walking home.

It was afternoon and Larry was practicing outside when they got home. Ludwig went back to bed and the other Koopalings were doing their thing. Roy went outside to assist Larry with his training. Larry's team could be seen approaching. They made their way to the castle and swarmed around Larry.

"Yo li'l man, are you ok?" Chance asked.

"We thought you were a goner!" Chet added.

"Are you well enough to play in the next game?" Chad asked. They were all bombarding him with questions and not even letting him answer. Larry finally cut them off.

"GUYS! I'm fine! I'll be playing in the next game! Geez!" They all cheer and they all ended up training with the two Koopalings. It was almost the finals and they had to be in tip top shape. They amped up their running, throwing, catching, and tackling. They made sure that they would be able to cover each other, especially Larry since he was the most fragile. They basically trained until they were exhausted. They all flopped onto the grass and looked up at the sky. There was a long silence until one of them spoke up.

"Do you guys think we'll win this thing?" It was Chance asking this. "We've only got a few more teams to face off against too..."

"I think... No... We will win." Larry said confidently. "With all this training we've been doing and with good strategies, we'll totally win this thing!"

"I dunno, kid." Chet began. "I mean the current champs are probably gonna be tough and we've honestly never got this far." Larry sat up and stared at Chet.

"What's with the doubt?"

"Well you DID just suffer an injury, so who knows how many more you'll get in the next rounds?"

"So you think I can't do it?"

"You can do it, but it's so dang risky with you playing. You're like an egg waiting to burst when people come after you."

"So now that's a problem?" Larry got up and walked over to Chet. He was getting up in his face and the two looked like they might tussle.

"Hey now. Hey now. Guys we really don't need to fight over this." Chance said, picking Larry up by the rim of his shell and placing him away from Chet. He stepped between the two so they could have some distance from each other. "Larry won't get hurt again 'cause we'll have his back and you'll stop being such a pessimist alright?" Chet crossed his arms and muttered fine. "How about we practice a little more and we can go off and do whatever?" The rest of the team agreed, so they continued training.

After training for a while, they were all too exhausted so the Chucks went home.

"See ya later, Larry!" Chance called.

"Bye! See you at the next game!" Larry called back waving.

There were only a few more hurdles to jump until they win the championships. They were all hoping it would go in their favour.


	5. Chapter 5

The following day he was much better and woke up pretty early because he was slept a lot the previous day. He looked at the helmet and actually realized how bad the dent was. He wanted to fix it as soon as possible, so he went to go wake up Ludwig. His brother was fast asleep. He shook him slightly and whispered.

"Ludwig. Wake up." Ludwig stirred. Larry shook him more and whispered a little louder. "Wake up." He finally woke up. He groggily turned to look at Larry.

"Ugh, Larry... It's five in the morning... What do you want?"

"Can we go fix my helmet?" He holds up the helmet.

"Larry, can't it wait until later?"

"Come on, it's so important to me! Please! Please! Pleeeeeaaasse!" His voice was getting louder.

"Alright! Fine! Fine! Just quit whining in my ear and let me get ready." Larry cheered softly. Within an hour Ludwig was ready and they went off to get it fixed.

They entered a store and the Toad at the repairs table was already shivering upon seeing them. They walked up to him.

"Can you fix this?" Ludwig asked, putting the dented helmet on the counter. The Toad nodded quickly. "Good. Then hop to it." Ludwig commanded. Within the hour, the repair was done and the helmet looked as good as new. Ludwig paid for the repairs and Larry thanked the Toad before excitedly running out the store with the helmet in his hands. Ludwig sighed and followed. He had to talk to his youngest brother, so he called him over.

"Larry, I really don't want you to get hurt again," he started, "so I think you should drop out of the team."

"What?!" Larry exclaimed, while he abruptly stopped walking. Ludwig bumped into him because of the abrupt stop. He already was wearing the helmet. "I can't just drop out! My team needs me…"

"Well, _I_ need you in one piece!" Ludwig blurted out. He quickly clapped his hands over his mouth and his face reddened a little. Larry stared at him wide-eyed for a few seconds before returning to his normal expression and averting eye contact. They continued walking in silence for a bit. Larry slowly stopped once again and while still averting eye contact by looking at his feet, he spoke up,

"I really had no idea you cared so much... Sorry for making you worry so much..." Ludwig's heart melted upon hearing that. It would be pretty selfish of him to keep Larry from playing because he didn't want the kid to get hurt; but at the same time, this game and the team was very important to Larry. They continued walking and there was more silence. Ludwig sighed and continued,

"Look, Larry... I can see how important this is to you... So you're free to do as you wish. Just try to be a little more careful." A wide grin grew across the little Koopa's face.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Larry cried while pretty much tackling Ludwig to the ground. "I'll try my very best not to get killed out there!" Ludwig's face was a bit red once again and he was averting eye contact. He sat up and pushed Larry off.

"Ok, ok. I get it. Let's just go home, alright?" Larry nodded happily and they began walking home.

It was afternoon and Larry was practicing outside when they got home. Ludwig went back to bed and the other Koopalings were doing their thing. Roy went outside to assist Larry with his training. Larry's team could be seen approaching. They made their way to the castle and swarmed around Larry.

"Yo li'l man, are you ok?" Chance asked.

"We thought you were a goner!" Chet added.

"Are you well enough to play in the next game?" Chad asked. They were all bombarding him with questions and not even letting him answer. Larry finally cut them off.

"GUYS! I'm fine! I'll be playing in the next game! Geez!" They all cheer and they all ended up training with the two Koopalings. It was almost the finals and they had to be in tip top shape. They amped up their running, throwing, catching, and tackling. They made sure that they would be able to cover each other, especially Larry since he was the most fragile. They basically trained until they were exhausted. They all flopped onto the grass and looked up at the sky. There was a long silence until one of them spoke up.

"Do you guys think we'll win this thing?" It was Chance asking this. "We've only got a few more teams to face off against too..."

"I think... No... We will win." Larry said confidently. "With all this training we've been doing and with good strategies, we'll totally win this thing!"

"I dunno, kid." Chet began. "I mean the current champs are probably gonna be tough and we've honestly never got this far." Larry sat up and stared at Chet.

"What's with the doubt?"

"Well you DID just suffer an injury, so who knows how many more you'll get in the next rounds?"

"So you think I can't do it?"

"You can do it, but it's so dang risky with you playing. You're like an egg waiting to burst when people come after you."

"So now that's a problem?" Larry got up and walked over to Chet. He was getting up in his face and the two looked like they might tussle.

"Hey now. Hey now. Guys we really don't need to fight over this." Chance said, picking Larry up by the rim of his shell and placing him away from Chet. He stepped between the two so they could have some distance from each other. "Larry won't get hurt again 'cause we'll have his back and you'll stop being such a pessimist alright?" Chet crossed his arms and muttered fine. "How about we practice a little more and we can go off and do whatever?" The rest of the team agreed, so they continued training.

After training for a while, they were all too exhausted so the Chucks went home.

"See ya later, Larry!" Chance called.

"Bye! See you at the next game!" Larry called back waving.

There were only a few more hurdles to jump until they win the championships. They were all hoping it would go in their favour.


End file.
